Page 18 of Always Been Mine

“Oh, my God!” she chortled. “Poor Caitlin. She’s going to get it. Wait until Travis gets a load of that dress.”

“You are so much trouble, Ms. Porter,” Nate declared.

“You’re one to talk. You ratted us out again.”

“Hey, bros before hoes and all that, you know.” He smirked.

“You owe me a drink.”

“Come on, then.”

They both started for the bar when Beatrice stopped in her tracks. Gabe was standing before them, glowering at Nate. Her friend tensed beside her, clocking the threat immediately.

“Am I right to assume that’s Gabriel Sullivan?” Nate murmured in her ear.

Beatrice nodded.

Nate immediately stepped in front of her, facing Gabe squarely. Both men were almost the same height, Gabe maybe an inch taller at six-four and definitely bulkier. However, Nate was no slouch with his lean compact muscles either.

“Turn around and walk away,” Nate growled softly.

“Nathan Reece, right?” Gabe said with a tight smile. “I guess I don’t need to tell you who I am. You should also know that this won’t end well if you stop me from talking to Beatrice.”

“So you wanna take this outside?” Nate goaded.

Yep, time to step in.

“I got this, Nate.”

“Beatrice—”

“He’ll only keep coming back,” Beatrice whispered harshly to her friend. “My problem. My solution. Stand down.”

Nate’s jaw clenched. Indecision was written all over his face. He nodded jerkily then returned his gaze to the other man. Without another word to Gabe, he deliberately shouldered past him.

“Hey, poppy,” Gabe greeted her quietly.

Beatrice nodded to the exit. “Let’s go.”

The secondthey cleared the club steps, Beatrice whirled on Gabe and shoved him on the shoulder.

“What is wrong with you, huh?” Beatrice screeched. “You keep following me everywhere. Do you know how creepy that is?”

“Since when have you become so violent, babe?” Gabe mock massaged his left shoulder.

He wasn’t taking her seriously. Nothing had changed. He could still annoy the hell out of her and at the same time turn her on. Seeing all that hardness underneath his navy blue shirt over jeans that hugged well-muscled thighs sent a palpable twitch between her legs.Hell. No.

“What’s your game, really? I’m so tired of you popping up everywhere I am—”

“No game, Beatrice.” His face turned serious. “I wouldn’t say leaving you was a mistake. Saying I had no choice is a lie. I can’t tell you why.”

“I don’t care why. It doesn’t matter—”

“Can we go somewhere to talk?” Gabe cut in gruffly. Oh, God, his whiskey eyes were boring straight into her and she could feel herself weakening. Damned alcohol.

“Nothing matters, don’t you see?” Beatrice’s tone was almost pleading. How could she make him leave her alone? “We were a mistake from the start. You chose your job like my father always did. You just proved to me that I was right all along.”

“Let’s go somewhere else. Please, babe.”

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